NanuNanu
Michigan
Michigan
@Morn I think about 99% of people put LYFT first. Some cities don't even have taxis anymore.
33A hung me up for a little bit, until I remembered the number one rule of crosswords: When in doubt, OREO.
Here we go dissing cats again. Cats are very social creatures by nature; most of them are unpleasant only to people who don't like cats.
@Solver I have, many times - different experiences, that's all.
@lucky13 "Heighth" is not a word, any more than "supposably", "acrossed", "nucular", "athalete", or "realitor". It is not a legitimate variant, it is simply a mispronunciation. People confuse it with constructions such as "length" and "breadth" and "width" - thank you, English language.
Fun fact: The name "Arby's" does not derive from "Roast Beef", but rather "Raffel Brothers" (Forrest and Leroy) who founded it in 1964. Fun fact #2: A word like "emcee" is called a lexicalized initialism—an abbreviation that’s been turned back into a normal-looking word based on how it sounds. Other examples: okay, deejay, kayo.
@Petrol And English - especially American English - in its glorious mishmash inconsistency, chooses to retain it in some words. You pointed out subpoena and phoenix, but also Phoebe, amoeba, Oedipus, and oenology.
@Petrol I wouldn't call that a nit at all, it's an incorrect clue.
@Kate Tani Russian chef - BORSCHT BELT
@Abby Carr All of them? How about: radian mole candela parsec calorie erg bar micron meter gram It's true that many are, but I can't think of any that are three letters long except that ampere is often shortened to amp: volt watt newton tesla gauss joule pascal hertz
@Tim Many foods originate in one place, but become more strongly associated with another, such as tempura, which originated in Portugal but is now considered distinctly Japanese. While churros did originate in Spain, they are more commonly associated with Mexico
@Lori Not at all; it is imitating the sound of a buzzer used in game shows or other places to indicate a wrong answer, and when spoken is a snarky way to tell someone they're wrong.
Okay, I am officially an old fart. I initially had COMO for 34A. I only realized the correct answer when I saw TRINITY crossing.
I was hung up on the revealer for a long time because I had SCAM for 10A.
@Lauren Very much a Spanish word, and the phrase "Está bien" can mean "okay" or "no problem", or indicate agreement or acceptance - it's a pretty versatile expression.
I originally had NASH instead of NAST, which left me with.... Well, you can see for yourself what the cross would be, I don't want to upset the emus.
@Ess When you are at bat, you're up - it's your time up.
@David I had the same objection at first, until I realized that all the names are in fact in big boxes - as @jas pointed out. What? Puns in a crossword puzzle? I never.
@Alex Yeah, that's something you have to look out for in Spanish: Mi papá tiene muchos años. (My father has many years / is old.) Mi papa tiene muchos anos. (My potato has many buttholes.)
@Patrick J. Same here - I had BEAK in there initially.
Anyone else notice the 2D answer in a puzzle with a clue about Guns N' Roses? Different spelling, of course, but I wonder if it was intentional.
@Elisabeth Yes - hated the layout. A Sunday puzzle is generally difficult enough to see, but I generally can without having to zoom in, which I had to do on this one, making it difficult to navigate. I was too irritated to properly enjoy the theme, so I don't know whether I like the puzzle itself or not. Please don't do it again.
@Ham Yes. That's how language works. People use words and they become part of the language.
@Phishfinder Same here, and that hung me up for a good bit.
@Weak An internet company's... ...undertaking: commission ...repair: commend ...fee for frugal people: commiserate ...stack of paperwork: compile ...tutor: commentor
@John Hey, I take exception to that! I've heard it many times, and I'm not archaic. Yet....
@Smee true: (tr.v.) to position something so as to make it balanced, level, or square.
@jp inframan - why not? I thought it was rather punny clue.
@Jane Wheelaghan Yeah, I have never heard a two-pronged fastener called a brad. A brad is a small nail, the only definition I could find in American Heritage, Random House, and Collins.
@Heidi I'm right there with you on the turducken. It seems a bit obscene, frankly.
I have to confess I ONCE again I fell for it, reading "once" as an English word rather than Spanish, aunque sí hablo español.
@Mike I was thinking the same thing. Patients generally go to the recovery room after surgery, also called the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) where staff monitor them as they wake up from anesthesia. Howdy from one Michiganer to another.
@Lpr Words undergo this sort of change all the time, starting out as two words, then hyphenated, then (sometimes) joined. Personally, I refuse to write "backyard" as a single word unless it's a modifier: "backyard barbecue". I write, "We were in the back yard." I've held out on that for years, and only recently realized why - it's how people say it. No one says, "We were in the backyard." Anyway, I tend to agree that fundraising should be written as one word, but it is still somewhat in transition. We'll see what happens to-morrow!
@andrew But it includes OHIO!
@Francis Many people don't realize that Venus goes through phases, like the Moon. However, it appears brightest not at full phase, but at crescent phase (approximately 26%) because it is then closer to Earth.
@Pat-a-pon Enos is a biblical character, the son of Seth who was the son of Adam. Of course, that doesn't help if you never heard of him, either!
@Nora Except that chaconne is a musical form, so it is a perfectly punny on-theme comment.
@Francis I ASSUME he's referring to 34 across. And while profane and profanity can specifically relate to sacred things, they also have the simple connotation of vulgar or vulgarity.
@Petrol That's what it's all about.
Have I been watching the Stanley Cup playoffs? No. Have I ever watched an entire game of hockey? No. (I'm allowed to live in Michigan only with a special indulgence.) If you had asked me what icing is in hockey, without telling me it's a penalty, I would have assumed it meant putting the puck in play, putting it on the ice.
@Francis Showing my age, my first guess was KOHOUTEK - same number of letters, in fact.
@Andrzej Don't worry, I've done the spelling bee, including the pangram, and have no idea what A&W is talking about.
I knew Cossack because that was my Polish grandmother's maiden name.
@Heidi JIBE: Be in agreement (also a sailing term) GIBE: A derisive remark
@ALH Yes! I actually filled in MAY at first. No disrespect to Brian Eno, he's pretty awesome, but while he is an accomplished musician I think of him more as a producer.
@Amy baguette: 2a; a gem cut in the form of a narrow rectangle. – American Heritage Dictionary
A nice, fun puzzle. My favorite was "Disappearing Ink". For 35A my first thought was MOM.
@Aaron Yes, they really need to have it open in a browser, so it's possible to switch back and forth to see what people are talking about in the puzzle. I could try memorizing the entire puzzle before I come here, but that's a little too much work.
@Bethany Hee hee! Yeah, I've heard both meanings. My sister used to be married to a guy named Koetje, and my little cousin would giggle at the pronunciation of that name.
@Tim Dalmatians are traditionally associated with firefighting; it goes back to the days of horse-drawn fire engines. Dalmatians have a natural affinity for horses, and would run alongside the engine, guard the equipment while the firefighters were working, etc. That connection became embedded in American culture, and persists to this day; as horse-drawn fire engines were hardly unique to America, I would have thought the association was broader, but apparently not.